Scraper blade and adapter bracket for front end bucket loader



A. TIMMONS June 6, 1961 SCRAPER BLADE AND ADAPTER BRACKET FOR FRONT END BUCKET LOADER Filed June 23, 1958 TIMMONS ATTORNEYS FIG. 5

United States Patent 2,986,826 SCRAPER BLADE AND ADAPTER BRACKET FOR I FRONT END BUCKET LOADER Adolph Timmons, 3817 E. 140th St., Cleveland, Ohio Filed June 23, 1958, Ser. No. 743,831 2 Claims. (Cl. 37--117.5)

This invention relates to an adapter bracket, particularly one for a scraper blade or the like, for attachment to a front end bucket loader.

In connection with material handling equipment for earth moving and the like, frequently a front end bucket loader requires rapid changeover to a scraper blade or other material handling device. There are ways, of course, by which the bucket may be removed and other equipment attached. However, up to now the various methods of accomplishing this have been cumbersome and required Special devices and also resulted in great expense.

This invention is particularly adapted to a front end bucket loader having varying capacity which may be quickly converted by means of a bracket to a scraper blade or, in fact, other devices, such as a hay fork or the like. The bucket loaders are of usual type, there being a great number on the market, and frequently have double acting lift and tilt cylinders. They are usefulin connection with landscaping jobs, construction work, etc. Often the rear of a tractor is occupied with hitches or back hoes, etc. and a scraper blade cannot be attached at that point for quick changeover from one device to another.

This invention is directed primarily to a bracket involving a plurality of angle irons or their equivalent which may be held in close proximity over the edge of a bucket so that supporting brackets to attach a blade of usual construction can be achieved.

In general in the prior art there are a great number of bulddozer blades for converting buckets into blades and the like. Examples of such teachings are found in the following patents: U.S. Patent No. 2,515,384; U.S. Patent No. 2,824,391; U.S. Patent No. 2,691,228; and U.S. Patent No. 2,812,595.

This invention is particularly directed to an adapter bracket for front end loader buckets, though, of course, under certain conditions it may be applied to rear end loaders. The invention consists of a simple bracket into which the bucket will fit and to which a dozer blade may be attached in order to quickly convert the bucket to a dozer.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved bracket for buckets for conversion to a dozer blade or other device.

A further object of this invention is to convert a bucket to a multipurpose tool, such as a hay fork or the like.

A further object of this invention is to combine a plurality of plates in such a manner that they will fit over the edge of a bucket, controllable by the tilt cylinders of the bucket, so that another device, such as a dozer or hay fork, may be attached thereto.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention then consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims; the following description setting forth in detail one approved method of carrying out the invention, such disclosed method, however, constituting but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be used.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of my new and improved invention, showing a tractor and front end loader in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line 22 of 2,986,828 Re se are 5 1 FIG. 1, showing the bracket, the dozer, the bucket and the tractor;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 2, showing the connection to the dozer blade;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line 4-4.0f FIG. 2, showing the lower connection to the dozer blade;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the bucket and bracket;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the dozer blade and bracket; and g 1.

FIG. 7 is an alternate modification showing the' hay fork which may be attached .to the bracket. 7

Looking at the drawings 10 shows a tractor havin'g a front end loader 11 with a variety of tiltflcylinders, one of which is shown at 12. and another of which is shown at 13. The bucket itself is shown at 14 and the'd'o'zer" blade at 15...

In FIG. 2 a bucket is shown, which may beof any construction; having an upper portion 17 and a lower portion, generally flat, 1 8. The lower portion has a leading edge, sometimes projecting outwardly, as shown at 19. It is this edge that is adapted to fit within a plurality of angle irons, though structural metal and other shapes maybe employed. c K

As seen particularly in FIG. 6.. one angle iron shown at 2ll.-having a vertical portion 21 and a horizpntjal portion 22. This angle iron will be spaced from another angle iron 23 having a vertical portion 24 and a horizontal portion 25. Struts or other support means as at 26 may be employed between the sides of each of the two angle irons. If desired, suitable means (not illustrated) may be provided to vary the spacing between the support means in order to prevent a given bucket from striking one of the support means and interfering with assembly. On the front face of the bracket are vertical support members shown at 29. There may, however, be two or three of these members employed. The vertical support member has a plurality of apertures therein to permit attachment to a dozer blade. A dozer blade is indicated at 15 having brackets 31, 32 and 33 with apertures therein generally indicated at 34 for attachment to the bracket. This blade with its supporting brackets may be of any construction, although only one modification is shown.

Other features of the construction relate to the manner in which the bracket and dozer blade may be attached, and these are shown in the drawings in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, where a heavy spring is indicated generally at 35 and may be attached from the bucket 14 to the top portion of the dozer blade at 37. This spring permits pivoting of the dozer blade around the lower pivot 39 as seen particularly in connection with FIG. 4. When the dozer blade strikes an object, the shear pin in FIG. 3 at 40 may be broken or the pin removed for safety, in which event the front dozer blade is freely permitted to pivot around the lower pin 39. The supports 31, 32 and 33 on the dozer blade and the supports 29 on the bracket are seen in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4. Further means for attachment of the bracket to the blade may be seen in FIG. 2, where an adjustable link, generally 42, has a turnbuckle or other adjustment 43, as well as means for attachment to the bracket at 44 and to the bucket at 45. By this means the bucket may be slipped between the two angle irons in the space indicated 47, and the turnbuckle 43 tightened up so that the bracket cannot move outwardly of the bucket. However, when the dozer blade is attached by means of pins 39 and 40, it may operate as previously described.

By means of the bracket of this invention a dozer blade may be quickly attached to a bucket and then dropped off without any harm occurring to the bucket and without unnecessary delay in the attachment and detachment of the bucket, as well as the reattachment of another device.

generally at 54. These are adapted to register with the openings in the adapter bracket supports 29. By this .means a farmer could convert his front end bucket loader to a hay fork when doing his chores around the barn.

-He can do this by slipping the bucket into the adapter bracket and having the hay fork permanently attached thereto or bolted to the bracket.

' Although the present invention has been described in connection with a few preferred embodiments thereof,

,variations and modifications may be resorted to by those skilled in the art Without departing from the principles of the invention. All of these variations and modifications are considered to be within the true spirit and scope of the present invention as disclosed in the foregoing description and defined bythe appended claims.

I claim: v 1. A dozer adapter bracket for a bucket comprising a first angle iron member having a horizontal portion, a

second angle iron member rigidly secured to and supported on said'first angle iron member in nearly coincident relationship therewith and having a horizontal portion spaced from the horizontal portion of said first angle iron member to receive the lower edge of the bucket, support means between the sides of each of said angle irons, bracket means on the front face of said adapter bracket to secure a dozer blade thereto, bucket attachment means on said adapter bracket, whereby the bucket may he slipped between the horizontal portions of the angle irons and fastened thereto and a dozer blade may be attached towthe adapter bracket for quick conversion of the bucket to a dozer.

2. An adapter bracket for the bucket of a front end bucket loader, said adapter bracket being particularly adapted to attach a dozer blade to the bucket, said adapter bracket comprising a first member formed in the shape of an angle, a second member formed in the shape of an angle, said members having vertically oriented portions adjacent to and secured to one another, said members further having horizontally oriented portions spaced, apart a sufiicient distance to permit the entranceof the lower portion of the edge of the bucket, support means between the sides 'of each of said angle irons, bucketattachment means on said adapter bracket, and bracket means on the outer face of said bracket for connection to a dozer blade.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 2,446,827 Hall Aug. '10, 1948 2,488,695 Upton Nov. 22, 1949 2,597,374 Richey May 20, .1952 2,668,631 Reese Feb. 9, 1954 2,705,380 Hensley Apr; 5, '1955 2,817,449 Meyer et al Dec. 24, 1957 2,838,856 Buisse June 17, 1958 2,856,707 Coder Oct. 21, 

